MEMBER’S PRESS RELEASE: Hat trick of awards for UK’s leading food waste recycling business

Premier food waste to green energy firm Biogen has been awarded 3 sought after certifications for its environmental, quality management and health & safety systems.

The certifications, ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001, were awarded by UKAS accredited auditors ISOQAR, and set Biogen apart as one of only a handful of anaerobic digestion (AD) operators to hold certificates for all 3 standards.  

Biogen’s 7 AD plants across England and Wales recycle food waste from households and commercial sources to generate renewable electricity for the national grid and a valuable biofertiliser which is used on farmland. During 2016 the company will process nearly a quarter of a million tonnes of the UK’s food waste, generating enough electricity for 25,000 homes for a year.

Commenting on the implication of the accreditations, Kate Lister, Biogen’s Head of Compliance said:

The ISO and OHSAS certifications show our commitment to delivering the highest environmental, health & safety and customer care standards.  Our customers benefit from an improved quality and service leading to fewer complaints.

In the case of all 3 accreditations we have a surveillance audit each year which involves input from teams across the business and also a re-certification audit every 3 years. This helps us maintain our focus and continually review, refine and improve our processes and systems and as a result we have seen standards improve significantly in all areas.

Reflecting on Biogen’s achievement, Julian Russell, Managing Director of Equas who provided support to Biogen said:

Biogen have implemented a very carefully thought through and effective Quality, Health, Safety and Environmental Management System. From the outset of the project, they had a firm desire to fully embrace the principals behind the ISO standards and they have fully reaped the benefit by the extent in which it’s been embraced by their employees. For this size of business, to achieve certification to all three standards in under 2 years is an impressive achievement.

One of the first tasks undertaken by Biogen was the implementation of Activ, a new electronic information management system to enable clearer, tighter document control. A film produced by management consultancy company Equas featuring Biogen’s use of Activ can be viewed here: http://bit.ly/1Ogzay2

In addition to the ISO and OHSAS certifications, Biogen’s AD plants also hold the BSI PAS 110 certification for the biofertiliser produced by its AD process. The PAS 110 standard reassures users that the biofertiliser is of a consistent quality and fit for purpose, i.e. for spreading to land. 

Contact: Anita Smith, Marketing & Communications Manager    Tel: 07760 164400      anita.smith@biogen.co.uk